Steve Hatley

The War on Drugs Return to New Orleans

17:00 June 03, 2022
By: Steve Hatley

Philadelphia, Pennsylvanian based The War on Drugs have come a long way since they first played New Orleans, in the French Quarter at One Eyed Jacks in 2012. Founding members Adam Granduciel (vocals, guitar) and David Hartley (bass) with Robbie Bennett (keyboards, piano, guitars) who joined the band in 2010 are the only three member of the band that were at that initial show.

Thursday night's show at the Orpheum Theater saw the bands triumphant return to New Orleans for their first NOLA date in a little over ten years. I Don't Live Here Anymore is the name of the bands 2021 release and tour's sake. The set, as one would expect, was weighted heavier to that album, with nods to the rest of their catalogue. The first thing one can't help but notice, aside from the visual masterpiece happening with every beat, is how bold the sound comes across. It completely engulfs you. That could be a testament to the new material, but even the older stuff had the same feeling. This was by far my top three sounding shows I've ever seen at the Orpheum. And considering how may shows I've seen there, that says a lot.

Granduciel kept his crowd banter to a minimum but did reminisce on the last time they played New Orleans and said the band was a whole lot different now than then. The crowd enjoyed every moment of the show and the band in returned fed off that enthusiasm. Do yourself a favor and check out The War on Drugs if you ever get a chance too. You can see more pictures here.

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